Yet for thousands of Hazara refugees from Afghanistan who are stranded in Pakistan, the turn of the calendar brought not hope, but deepening fear — fear that the protection Canada was offering them may be quietly slipping away. In a desperate search for internal scapegoats, Iran is explicitly branding Hazara refugees as foreign spies. In 1939, this country turned away Jewish refugees fleeing Nazi persecution on the MS St. Louis under the cover of bureaucratic logic. Advertisement AdvertisementAdvertisement AdvertisementIn a world where multilateral norms are under strain, middle powers like Canada must lead by example. Ali Mirzad is senior government affairs and advisor at Canadian Hazara Humanitarian Services.

Source: National Post February 08, 2026 17:30 UTC